Built by operators.
Driven by science.
We develop tools and protocols, run field programs, and conduct applied research, all under one roof. Field work drives what we build. Research sharpens it. Programs put it to work.
Our model was discovered in the field, not in a strategy session.
On the island of Guam, during a wild hog eradication effort, unexploded ordnance ruled out traditional metal corral traps because they would disturb the soil. The team improvised. They hung net from metal panels, and the pigs behaved differently. They avoided the gate, which felt unnatural. They rooted under the netting, which felt natural. Once one pig was inside, the rest followed. The whole sounder.
That observation, born from constraint, refined through field work, validated through research, and commercialized as Pig Brig®, is now used in 39 countries.
This is the Field Engine model in one story. Field work shows what's possible. We build tools and protocols to test it. Applied research sharpens what works. Programs put it to work. The result reaches farther than any one project could deliver on its own.
Operators, researchers, and builders.
Field Engine is built by scientists, engineers, field practitioners, program managers, and operators. Our leadership combines decades of applied wildlife science with the operational experience to translate research into tools and programs that hold up in the field.
Vickie DeNicola founded Field Engine in 2020 to close the gap between wildlife research and the tools and programs that field professionals actually need. She co-developed the Pig Brig® Trap System with Anthony DeNicola, translating his field-tested concept into a manufactured, supported product now deployed in 39 countries. Under her leadership, Field Engine has grown from a startup into a company delivering multi-site research programs, proprietary wildlife technology, and management services to agencies and conservation organizations across the U.S. and internationally, supported by a team of biologists, field operators, and commercial specialists, with sponsorship of graduate research that keeps the science pipeline active.
Vickie brings an unusual combination to the work: applied scientist and product operator. Before wildlife, she spent two decades in strategic innovation and digital product leadership at The Walt Disney Company, ESPN, Hasbro, and The Great Courses, where she built and scaled teams, launched new business lines, and drove cross-platform growth, earning an Emmy in Interactive Media. That commercial experience is what allows Field Engine to move research from publication to practice: identifying what the field actually needs, building it, and standing behind it.
Vickie holds a PhD from the University of Trento, where her research focused on fertility control and biologging in white-tailed deer. She serves on the Board of Directors at White Buffalo.
Chad Hanson is a seasoned conservation leader and practitioner with more than 20 years of experience in wildlife management, species recovery, and large-scale ecological restoration. His career spans complex, multi-stakeholder initiatives across the globe with expertise in invasive species eradication, the recovery of threatened wildlife, and human-wildlife conflict transformation. Throughout his leadership tenure, Chad has directed global programs, developed and managed diverse and distributed teams, and driven strategic alignment across conservation, funding, and operational functions. He excels at identifying a shared vision and building coalitions among government agencies, NGOs, local communities, and technical experts to deliver measurable outcomes. Chad brings an innovative mindset and a disciplined, evidence-based approach to program oversight, grounded in monitoring, evaluation, and learning (MEL). He holds an M.S. in Science Education and a B.S. in Fisheries and Wildlife Science with a specialty in Conservation Ecology.
We're always looking for talented wildlife professionals and builders who want to do work that matters. See open positions →
One platform. Purpose-built products.
Field Engine is the parent organization behind a growing portfolio of field-ready tools and programs, each one born from a real problem in the field.
Research, product development, and field services, integrated. The platform from which all tools and programs are built and deployed.
The first proof of the Field Engine model. A portable, whole-sounder net trap system for wild pig management, deployed in 39 countries, built and refined in real field conditions.
Real-world problems need
real-world partners.
We partner with agencies, NGOs, universities, and landowners tackling complex wildlife challenges. If you're working at the intersection of wildlife, land, and people, let's talk.
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